Fishing reports
18808 reports across all 50 states — current conditions and what's biting.
Trout and redfish keep the summer bite alive on the SC coast
Anglers working the surf and inshore creeks near Little River are into a strong summertime trout bite, per Fisherman's Post's Carolinas coverage this week, with slip cork rigs and live shrimp producing the top action while red drum hold in the same waters. We don't have direct buoy or gauge readings for Charleston Harbor this cycle, so treat this as a seasonal read rather than a real-time one. August in the Lowcountry typically keeps redfish tucked against oyster rakes and dock pilings on the higher stages of the tide, with spotted seatrout working grass edges and creek mouths during the cooler dawn and dusk hours, and flounder starting to stage near inlets and channel edges ahead of their fall migration. A waning crescent moon means weaker tidal swings this week, so expect a bite that leans more on structure and light than moving water. Check state regs before harvesting.
Permit and Tarpon Push Carries Into Gulf Coast Summer
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters describes a two-fish rotation dominating recent trips: tarpon on the morning migration push, then a switch to sight-fishing permit through the afternoon, calling the permit bite "as good as it gets for this time of year." Kingfish on plugs, cobia, and amberjacks have been mixing into the same days. Those reports reflect the tail end of spring into early summer, and by mid-August the pattern typically shifts as Gulf Coast water temperatures peak, pushing tarpon and permit into deeper channels while snook settle into passes and mangrove edges and redfish hold tight to grass flats during the cooler early-morning hours. Florida Sea Grant continues coastal habitat and fisheries research across the state's Gulf communities, part of the broader push toward healthier nearshore ecosystems that Salt Strong has flagged through Florida's new coastal habitat funding. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so lean on a fresh local forecast before running offshore.
Bonito push into Narragansett Bay as fluke limits pile up
Green bonito are thick around Block Island and the south county beaches this week, with The Fisherman — Rhode Island reporting good numbers at the Harbor of Refuge and a fresh push confirmed by The Fisherman (Northeast)'s New England forecast, which has the bonito running the entire Rhody shoreline into Buzzards Bay. Fluke fishing keeps climbing too, per Frances Fleet and Booked Off Charters out of Rhode Island, with several trips limiting out on fish up to 8 pounds alongside solid black sea bass and scup. Striped bass are holding up, best worked at night or on live bait like scup according to Quonnie Bait and Tackle, though Snug Harbor Marina and Booked Off Charters both note brown sharks have made bass trips around Block Island tougher this summer. Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) calls July a lackluster stretch overall but says the fall run is finally on the doorstep.
Outer Banks Surf Zone Heats Up as Inshore Bite Finally Turns On
Sea mullet, bluefish, and croakers are stacking up on Outer Banks surf-zone bottom rigs, with Hugh at TW's Bait and Tackle (Fisherman's Post) reporting the inshore bite has finally turned the corner after a slower stretch. No buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water conditions as typical for early August until you check locally. Farther down the Core Banks near Cape Lookout, Dave at Chasin' Tails (Fisherman's Post) is seeing bigger spanish mackerel group up nearshore, a pattern that tends to build through August. Red drum remain part of the seasonal mix along the broader NC coast this time of year, per shop reports farther south, and should be workable in OBX sloughs and inlets too. We're not seeing striper chatter locally, which tracks with the season: Chesapeake Bay stripers are under Maryland's August closure (Coastal Angler Magazine) and haven't started their fall push south yet.
St. Lucie Inlet snook bite stays hot as red snapper season stalls
Snook fishing remains excellent along the Treasure Coast this month. Snook Nook's August report describes steady numbers of quality fish, including plenty in the 40-inch-plus class, concentrated around the St. Lucie Inlet and the adjacent beach on live croakers and threadfin herring; when the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin fished on bottom has been a reliable fallback per the shop. Keep in mind Atlantic-coast snook season is typically closed through August and reopens around September 1, so this remains a catch-and-release bite until then, per usual regs, so confirm current status before keeping fish. Offshore, red snapper access is unsettled: CCA Florida reports a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just hours before Florida's Atlantic season was set to open, while Anglers Journal notes the state has separately been pushing for a state-managed 39-day season. Sailfish action offshore has also been strong, with a Snook Nook-crewed boat going 7-for-9 in a recent local tournament.
Chesapeake stripers take a summer break as cobia fill in
Maryland's mainstem Chesapeake Bay striped bass season is closed for all of August, per Coastal Angler Magazine, giving rockfish a break through the hottest stretch of summer before the fishery reopens September 1 — worth a double-check of current Virginia regs before targeting linesides around the Chesapeake mouth this month. Buoy and gauge feeds are down for this update, so we're leaning on regional angler intel instead: cobia and Spanish mackerel are the typical August draw at the bay mouth while stripers sit out the heat. To the north in the NJ/Delaware Bay corridor, The Fisherman (Northeast) reports an improving fluke bite and a recent bluefish push into the inlets, a pattern that often echoes into Virginia's lower bay a little later in the season. Offshore, the White Marlin Open out of Ocean City just wrapped with nearly 1,000 billfish boated, a sign pelagic action remains strong up and down the Mid-Atlantic coast right now, per On The Water.
Flounder Bite Fires Off Along Georgia's Atlantic Coast
Doormat flounder are coming over the rail in the St. Simons area, with angler Daniel Smith's recent catch highlighted in Joshua Barber's Southern Waters Fishing Report (GA Sportsman / Georgia Outdoor News, Aug. 8) — Barber notes the flounder bite "has been firing off this week." Tarpon are cooperating along the same stretch too, per that same report. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through this cycle, so we're leaning on on-the-water intel rather than instrument data for this update. Georgia's Wildlife Resources Division (Georgia Wildlife Blog — Fishing) is mid-transition to a rotating regional-report format starting next week, so expect more localized detail from state sources going forward. With water temps typically running warm for the Georgia Atlantic coast in early August, look for inshore staples like redfish and spotted seatrout to stay active around marsh edges and creek mouths even without a direct report confirming this week's bite. Afternoon thunderstorm risk remains the main planning variable through the weekend.
Pogie Blitzes Fire Up Cape Cod Bay Stripers as Tuna Bite Holds
Striped bass exploded on pogie-driven blitzes along Plymouth and Manomet beaches this week, with fish ranging from schoolies to 25-to-47-inch stripers crashing bait right at the wash, per The Fisherman — South Shore MA to ME report from Belsan's Bait and Tackle and contributor Dave Anderson — paddletail shads, topwaters, swimbaits and metal lips all producing. Up the bay at Brewster Flats and Billingsgate, Goose Hummock Shop reports a kayak bite mixing slot bass with four-pound-class bluefish, while Captain Phil's trips to Crab Ledge continue turning up very good bluefin tuna fishing. Nearby Duxbury Bay is showing an improving fluke bite, according to The Fisherman's New England Video Fishing Forecast, which also notes striper action holding strong across the region even as sharks trail some of the bigger fish. No live buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so pair this report with a current local forecast before you launch.
Redfish dig into marsh shade as Delta anglers await moon-driven tides
No buoy or gauge data came back for the Louisiana coast this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep turned up light on Louisiana-specific saltwater reports, so we're leaning on regional Gulf Coast patterns and the calendar rather than a fresh bite report. Redfish are the safest bet along the marsh edges and shell pads right now, tucking into shaded, skinny water during the worst of the midday heat, a pattern Salt Strong highlights this week with cut-bait presentations working reds out of thick cover. Speckled trout typically slide deeper and go quieter through August's peak heat, best worked early and late. Black drum hold in deeper holes and channels through summer. With the moon in a Waning Crescent phase and building toward new moon, expect tidal movement to strengthen over the coming days, which should sharpen the bite around the strongest tide swings.
Bonito push into Buzzards Bay as Vineyard Sound rips heat up
A strong push of bonito swung into the South County Rhode Island shoreline and moved east along the coast into Buzzards Bay this week, per The Fisherman (Northeast)'s New England Video Fishing Forecast — a solid sign the false-albacore season is arriving on schedule. In eastern Vineyard Sound, Falmouth Bait and Tackle (via The Fisherman — Cape Cod & Islands) reports blues and mixed bonito coming from the rips off the Falmouth Sound shoreline, along with larger scup and sea bass for anglers working the same structure. Striped bass remain in the mix but inconsistent: Sports Port notes school stripers and blues from Falmouth to Hyannis, with better schoolie and slot action on night tides toward Chatham, while shark pressure around Cape Cod is pushing some captains to work bass more cautiously. We're seeing a classic early-August transition setting up ahead of the fall run.
Puget Sound salmon season builds as August push takes hold
Washington's statewide creel and catch monitoring remains the benchmark for tracking Puget Sound and Pacific coast conditions, per WA WDFW Fishing Reports, and this week's scan of regional sources turned up no fresh WA-specific catch intel beyond that baseline — worth flagging so anglers lean on WDFW's site directly for area-by-area detail before heading out. That said, early-to-mid August is typically the heart of the Puget Sound and coastal Chinook season, with fish staging off popular grounds and pushing toward terminal areas as the month progresses, while coho start showing more consistently as August wears on. Dungeness crab pots remain a reliable summer add-on across the Sound. Halibut, by contrast, usually winds down by now as quota-managed seasons close out earlier in summer. With a waning crescent moon this week, expect typical tidal swings rather than anything extreme — check WDFW updates and local tide tables before planning a trip.
Trout bite holds steady in Pensacola-area bays as summer heat lingers
An angler on the Pensacola Fishing Forum reported a mixed trout bite in the Mobile Bay area this week, boating two keepers on four bites before rough conditions pushed the boat off the water by mid-morning, the kind of choppy, heat-driven pattern typical of a Gulf Panhandle August. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Destin-Pensacola corridor today, so treat sky and swell as unconfirmed until you check a local forecast. A separate forum post described a run to a nearshore FAD chasing wahoo, though building storms cut the trip short before bait showed up in numbers, again single-source chatter rather than a confirmed pattern. With no shop, charter, or state-agency reports specific to this stretch of coast in this run's feed, we're leaning on typical late-summer seasonality: speckled trout and redfish working grass flats and bay edges early and late, and Spanish and king mackerel schooling over nearshore structure as the afternoon heat pushes fish deeper.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper keep Keys anglers busy this summer
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have dominated recent reports out of the Florida Keys, with ALL IN Key West describing 'huge yellow tails' and 'mutton snappers chewing like crazy' during this year's full-moon spawn run. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada Fishing Marina's early-summer report backs that up, calling June and early July prime time for tarpon on the bridges, mahi offshore in the Gulf Stream, and yellowtail on the reef, with warm water, calm seas and abundant bait fueling the bite. Sailfish showed up early too, per ALL IN Key West, with strong Gulfstream currents pushing fish close to Key West. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida is tracking a court injunction against this year's South Atlantic red snapper pilot program, so anglers should check current federal/state rules before targeting snapper species offshore. Overall, the Keys flats-and-offshore complex remains in its productive summer stretch.
Porgy limits and improving fluke keep CT anglers busy as sharks scatter stripers
CT anglers are stacking porgy limits this week — Black Hawk reports "limits of porgies all around the boat" on nearly every bottom trip, with black sea bass, triggerfish, and the occasional fluke mixed in, per The Fisherman — Connecticut. Fluke fishing continues to build too, with J&B Tackle noting solid catches by Montauk and Cerberus Shoal and around Sarah's Ledge, Two Tree Channel, Black Point, and Hatchetts Reef. Striped bass action, strong for much of the summer, has "paused" according to Tartan II and grown "more difficult" per J&B Tackle, both pointing to a heavy presence of brown sharks pushing bass off their usual grounds — Black Hawk even hooked one boatside while porgy fishing. Bluefish, mostly harbor-sized, are filling the gap for anglers chasing bass. Fort Trumbull Pier remains a dependable shore option for bass, fluke, scup, and tog per AW Marina.
Spanish mackerel bite fires up along the Cape Lookout coast
Spanish mackerel are stacking up along Cape Lookout and the piers from Swansboro to Atlantic Beach this week, with the bigger fish holding closer to the Cape itself, per Fisherman's Post (NC). Anglers throwing casting jigs and Gotcha plugs off the Emerald Isle pier are connecting with spanish mackerel and bluefish, and a few king mackerel have shown up in the mix too. Further south at Carolina Beach, surf anglers are finding a typical summer spread of red drum, flounder, croakers, and assorted sharks. On the Northern Beaches, bottom fishing in the surf is producing sea mullet, bluefish, and plenty of croakers, with the inshore bite reportedly starting to come around after a slower stretch. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so pair this report with a local check on water temp and wind before heading out. The Waning Crescent moon favors low light bites early and late this week.
Hawaii's summer pelagic bite carries into waning crescent week
No buoy or gauge readings came through for Hawaiian waters this cycle, and this week's angler-intel feed carried no charter, tackle-shop, or captain reports on current Island conditions — HI Sea Grant's latest posts covered coastal research and fellowship news rather than what's biting. Leaning on general seasonal knowledge for mid-August, this is typically peak window for offshore pelagics around the Islands: ahi (yellowfin tuna), mahimahi, and ono are all commonly active in blue water this time of year, while giant trevally (ulua) stays a year-round shoreline and reef target, especially working dawn and dusk. The waning crescent moon this week means darker nights, which many Hawaii shore anglers treat as a mild edge for low-light bottom and rock fishing. Treat the species notes below as seasonal expectation rather than confirmed local reports — check with a local shop or captain before planning a trip, particularly for any species-specific or area-specific intel we don't have this cycle.
Lake Michigan salmon season keeps rolling for Indiana anglers
No live buoy or gauge readings came back for the Indiana shoreline of Lake Michigan this cycle, so this report leans on lakewide context rather than a fresh bite report. The WI DNR Lake Michigan Fishing Report flagged a standout 2024 season lakewide, with anglers landing a record 210,000-plus coho salmon and more than 160,000 Chinook salmon, the most since 2012, as strong alewife survival boosted the stocked salmon and steelhead classes. That kind of year-class strength typically carries forward into following seasons as those fish mature, and August is traditionally peak deep-water trolling time for Chinook, coho, and steelhead off the Indiana shoreline, with yellow perch starting to group up on nearshore structure as summer wears on. We don't have angler-specific intel for the Indiana shoreline this week, so treat the species outlook below as seasonal expectation, not a confirmed bite, and check with a local shop or captain before running out.
Erie walleye and smallmouth stay steady as flows hold flat
Direct, fresh intel specific to Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay is thin this week, so this update leans on regional trends and typical late-summer patterns for the broader Great Lakes basin. A nearby Erie-tributary USGS gauge (04213000) is holding a steady, unremarkable base flow near 48 cfs as of midday today, consistent with normal August low-water conditions and no recent rain pulse pushing water up. On the technique side, Fishing the Midwest has been tracking a broader Great Lakes shift toward locating suspended walleye with forward-facing sonar rather than working bottom structure alone, a pattern worth trying on Erie's open water. For smallmouth around Presque Isle Bay, where midday recreational boat traffic is heavy in August, Wired 2 Fish's advice to fish the early and late low-light windows applies directly. Yellow perch should remain a dependable, if unspectacular, summer option. Treat species activity below as seasonally typical rather than confirmed hot bites until more local, on-the-water reports come in.
Fall Chinook Anticipation Builds on Columbia Tributaries
Water at our monitored Columbia system gauge (USGS 14113000) read 59°F this morning with flow holding near 751 cfs, comfortable conditions for resident trout and the early edge of anadromous fish movement through Washington's rivers. WDFW's statewide creel and stocking reports track exactly this kind of activity, from access site angler interviews to lake and stream stocking updates, and provide the baseline picture for what's typically working across state freshwater fisheries this time of year. With water in the high 50s and flow neither blown out nor low and clear, conditions favor early mornings and low light windows before the day warms and pressure builds. Late summer on Columbia and Puget Sound tributaries typically means resident rainbows holding in deeper runs while the first push of fall run fish begins staging near river mouths, though specific on the water bite reports for these systems were not available in today's feeds. Check current WDFW regulations and stocking updates before heading out.
Ohio reservoir bass and walleye adjust as summer heat settles in
USGS gauge 03110000 logged a steady flow of 184 cfs this morning, an unremarkable early-August reading that points to stable, typical late-summer conditions across Mosquito and Pymatuning. Water temperature wasn't directly measured at either reservoir, but expect the warm, stratified profile typical for this point in the season. Bass fishing turns tricky once midday heat and recreational boat traffic pile on, and Tactical Bassin's recent summer coverage notes that bass have split into two distinct groups by August, some suspending off structure, others tucked into shade and current breaks, which rewards anglers who fish the extreme edges of the day. On the walleye side, Fishing the Midwest points out that forward-facing sonar has changed where anglers find fish once presumed to be bottom-huggers, with more walleye now located suspended rather than glued to bottom contours. No Mosquito- or Pymatuning-specific bite reports came through this week, so treat the species notes below as seasonal defaults rather than confirmed local bites.
Winnipesaukee bass settle into a steady summer deep-water pattern
USGS gauge 01081000 read a steady 432 cfs as of midday Monday, with no water-temperature data available from today's feed. Direct on-the-water reports from Winnipesaukee itself weren't part of today's intake, so this update leans on the broader New England freshwater picture rather than a confirmed local bite. Per The Fisherman — New England Freshwater, largemouth are still eating shiners tight to shoreline docks and drop-edges on nearby Massachusetts waters, and smallmouth are holding on deep structure and answering spinnerbaits fished slow along river channels. Expect a similar mid-August pattern on Winnipesaukee's rocky points and deep drop-offs as surface water stays warm. Lake trout and landlocked salmon typically slide into deeper, cooler water and go quieter once the thermocline sets up this time of season, and nothing in today's intel contradicts that. Treat this as a seasonal-pattern read, not a confirmed on-lake report, until more direct intel comes in.
Cumberland tailwater trout bite favors low, clear flows
Flow at the Cumberland River tailwater gauge below Wolf Creek Dam (USGS 03413200) read just 6.45 cfs as of early afternoon on August 10, a level consistent with turbines off or running minimal generation. Low, non-generation flow on this stretch usually means clearer, more wadeable water, though it can also push trout into deeper runs and slower pools once the cold discharge mixing that normally chills the tailwater eases off. No water-temperature reading came through with this update, so check conditions on arrival, especially with August heat working on surface temps lake-wide. We don't have a direct shop, charter, or agency report on Lake Cumberland or the tailwater in today's feed, so this update leans on typical seasonal patterns for the fishery rather than fresh testimony: tailwater trout holding in current breaks, and lake bass and stripers settling into a classic summer thermocline pattern.
Elevated Mississippi flows push walleye and smallmouth to current breaks
The USGS gauge at station 05420500 read 82°F with flow running 35,100 cfs as of this morning, well above a typical calm late-summer stage for the Clinton-Dubuque pools. That kind of push loads current through wing dams and rock structure, concentrating baitfish and giving walleye and smallmouth bass defined current breaks to set up on rather than scattering fish across open flats. Per Fishing the Midwest, summer walleyes are increasingly holding off-bottom rather than glued to classic structure, a shift driven largely by forward-facing sonar changing how anglers locate fish, and a half-crawler harness worked slow through current seams (a tactic Jason Mitchell Outdoors is running this week) remains a solid starting point. High, stained water is typically a dependable window for channel catfish on cut bait. Smallmouth should be working wing-dam eddies and rock seams rather than skinny water in this heat. Check Iowa DNR regulations before harvesting.
Missouri River walleye settle into summer patterns as reports stay quiet
USGS gauge 06440200 logged a flow reading of 0 cfs as of 11:30 a.m. today, with no water temperature reported for this cycle. Direct fishing intel for South Dakota's Missouri River and Black Hills waters was thin in today's feeds, so we're leaning on general seasonal knowledge for what's biting. Regionally, Fishing the Midwest notes anglers using forward-facing sonar to locate walleye suspending over open water and off traditional bottom structure this time of year, a trend broadly applicable to reservoir stretches of the Missouri. That same source describes bass keying on moving baits worked over emerging weed edges, a pattern that typically carries into smallmouth activity on rocky Missouri River structure through August. Channel catfish generally stay active in warm water this month, while Black Hills trout streams tend to fish best in the cooler early-morning hours before midday heat sets in. Verify current flow and water clarity before launching, and check regs before keeping fish.